Premium
Routine blood counts in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia after completion of therapy: are they necessary?
Author(s) -
Gandhi Minal,
Rao Kanchana,
Chua Siew,
Saha Vaskar,
Lilleyman John,
Shankar Ananth
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2141.2003.04453.x
Subject(s) - asymptomatic , medicine , pediatrics , blood count , maintenance therapy , disease , el niño , lymphoblastic leukemia , chemotherapy , surgery , leukemia
Summary. Children who have completed treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are commonly followed up for the first 5 years with regular full blood counts (FBCs) to monitor for relapse of disease. There is little evidence to suggest that this practice improves the detection rate of unexpected relapse. Surveillance FBCs, performed on 43 children with relapsed ALL between 1990 and 1999, were analysed. Of the 42 relapses in children off therapy, only two were detected by an abnormal FBC. Routine FBCs in asymptomatic children off therapy lacks specificity in detecting unexpected relapses and maybe safely discontinued.